Special Assignment

Hi, my name is Ellen Dunn and I have been addicted to my cell phone for about eight years now.  I got my first cell phone when I was 12 because my mom found it easier for all the kids to have cell phones rather than a house phone.  It fit our busy schedule and we were always able to contact her or my dad.  And my first phone did have a camera on it.  Freshman year of high school, I go the Envy 2, the one with the full keyboard.  The full keyboard was just awesome for this. That is when I became a texting fiend.  I got my first smart phone my junior year, all my friends had one before me, so boy was I pumped!  I had the Samsung Fascinate and I had access to all my social media sites through the apps.  I got in trouble more than once for texting in class, but I still did it.  I rarely payed attention because I was ALWAYS one my phone. I still have a problem with being on my phone in my classes.  It is extremely distracting and I will catch myself out at dinner with a group and I am still just always on my phone.

The statistics Dr. Strange posted to the blog for this assignment were not at all shocking to me.  Here is what he posted:

 A recent study by Zogby Analytics reports several interesting findings regarding young people aged 18 - 24:

1. 87% say their smartphone never leaves their side.
2. 80% say the very first thing they do in the morning is reach for their smartphone.
3. 78% say they spend 2 or more hours per day using their smartphone.
4. 68% say they would prefer to use their smartphone instead of their laptop or personal computer for personal use.
5. 91% say that having a camera on their smartphone is important (61% very important)
6. 87% say they use their smartphone camera at least weekly. 59% use their smartphone camera at least every other day. 44% use their smartphone camera for still or motion picture taking every day.

I'm all for students using iPads in the classroom but I think that phones are a little harder to integrate because I think they are more distracting than the iPads. Plus, on the iPads, there are ways to keep kids locked into certain apps.

However, there could be some interesting ways to have children use cell phones for learning. They could use phones for:

• Dictionaries
• Research
• Taking pictures of real life examples of what they are learning about in class
• Educational games and apps
• Notes
• Recording lessons

Having the cell phones would help students become better learners if they can stay focused.  I also think that it is good for the children to be introduced to cell phones and how to use the properly and responsibly.